I went off the pill in January, and have been charting since then. I read TCOYF and apparently your luteal phase should be consistent across cycles. However, mine have been 15 days, 13 days, and this month 12. Is it normal to have variation?? Also….I’m a bit concerned that mine seem to be shortening! Anyone else have variable luteal phases?

Yeah mine are slightly variable. Like not more than a couple days, but it’s frustrating when you wish you could just ovulate on Day 14 and be done with it. I didn’t even know they should always be exactly the same length! I figured stress could be the culprit, especially when my cycle is a couple days longer than normal.

Mine have gotten shorter since I went off the pill, too. My first was around 12, I’ve had a bunch of 10 day ones, a few 8 day ones, and the last few have been 9. I’ve tried B6 but it hasn’t seemed to make much difference. I’ve decided not to worry about it, since there is no medical or scientific consensus of whether or not a short-ish luteal phase is even a problem. But I am sick of having 25-26 day cycles.

The third phase of a woman’s menstrual cycle is called the Luteal Phase, and is the time between ovulation and start of a woman’s period. It is during this important time that fertilization and implantation occurs.

As you might imagine, any disruption in the luteal phase of the cycle can be cause for concern since it can affect fertility. Most experts agree that a luteal phase less than 12 days does not give the uterus sufficient time to establish a nourishing lining for a growing fetus and therefore will cause a miscarriage if fertilization has occurred.